Partial support is requested for the 2004 Gordon Research Conference on Nucleic Acids, to be held June 6-11, 2004, at Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island. The purpose of the conference is to encourage the transfer of ideas and information within the community of scientists working at the forefront of research on the structure and function of nucleic acids. The topics addressed during the meeting are vital to all areas of the biomedical sciences, including genetics, gene expression, organization of sub-cellular components, and cancer biology. Because of its breadth, the Nucleic Acids Gordon Research Conference attracts scientists with physical, chemical, and biological backgrounds. The 2004 conference will emphasize the mechanisms of fundamental biological processes including transcription, protein synthesis, DNA replication and chromosome maintenance. The nine sessions of the meeting in 2004 are as follows: (1) Genomic Stability and Modification, (2) DNA Replication and Recombination, (3) DNA Damage and Repair, (4) Chromatin Organization and Conformation, (5) RNA Transport and Stability, (6) Translation and its Regulation, (7) Interfering and Regulatory RNAs, (8) RNA Tertiary Structure and Catalysis, (9) RNA Processing and Gene Expression. The Conference is designed to bring together prominent senior scientists, junior investigators and students with interests in research on nucleic acids. Participants have been invited to the 2004 Conference based on their scientific accomplishments, or their potential for careers in nucleic acids research. The speakers and session chairs are balanced in age, gender, and nationality. Every effort is being made to include and feature junior faculty, postdoctoral researchers and students in addition to established investigators. Poster sessions and optional recreational activities will stimulate informal interactions among participants.